1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to acoustic pianos, and in particular to a system for reducing the volume of an acoustic piano.
2. Background of the Technology
Acoustic pianos may be enjoyed in many different circumstances. Pianos may be used for practice, or may be played for the enjoyment of the pianist and others. In addition, pianos may be used to create pleasing background music, for example, during parties, in restaurants, or in retail stores.
In some situations, piano owners may wish for the piano to be played at a reduced volume. Reduced volume may be desirable, for example, during practice sessions, in the evenings, or when background music is desired.
In normal piano playing, when a key is depressed, a hammer strikes one or more strings, causing them to vibrate and create a tonal sound. The action of the hammer striking the strings creates a percussive sound apart from the desired tonal sound. Some piano owners find this percussive sound objectionable, and wish to reduce or eliminate the percussive sound.
In recent years, electronic reproducing pianos have become increasingly popular. Electronic reproducing pianos are conventional acoustic pianos that have been equipped with an electronic mechanism that can recreate recorded music. Electronic reproducing pianos may be played in a conventional way by a human pianist, or may play recorded music from a compact disc, electronic file, or other medium.
Many piano owners use electronic player pianos to play background music during social events, when decreased volume is often desired. However, there are many types of electronic player mechanisms with varying configurations. In addition, many electronic player mechanisms are installed as after-market additions, so there are many combinations of piano models and electronic player mechanisms. This lack of consistency makes it difficult to design compatible mechanisms.
While conventional pianos do have a soft pedal that reduces the piano volume slightly, the soft pedal is designed to create temporary reductions in volume so that the listener may enjoy contrasting dynamic effects within a performance. The soft pedal is not designed to reduce the overall volume of a performance. In order to use the soft pedal, the pianist must depress the pedal by foot. Continually depressing the soft pedal would be distracting for pianists. In addition, use of the soft pedal does not noticeably reduce the percussive sound of the hammer striking the string. Furthermore, depressing the soft pedal is inconvenient or impossible during a reproduction of recorded music.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,929 to Ishida discloses a muffler system for acoustic pianos. A muffler member made of a cushioning material, such as felt, may be interposed between the hammer and the string to create a low sound level performance. The muffler member may be moved to a retreated position if a regular performance is desired.
As described in Ishida, the muffler member is hard to bend due to its rigidity, and a key being pressed is heavy to the touch. Thus, a human pianist depressing a key will be able to sense the presence of the muffler member. The pianist will feel increased resistance when the hammer strikes the muffler member. This increased resistance may be distracting to pianists.
Ishida attempts to rectify this problem by providing elongated slits in the muffler member. The elongated slits decrease the rigidity of the muffler member. However, even if elongated slits are provided, a pianist will feel increased resistance, because the hammer strikes the muffler member while the pianist is in the process of depressing the key.
Furthermore, the muffler mechanism of Ishida is difficult to install or repair. The muffler mechanism in Ishida is large and cumbersome. In order to install or repair the muffler mechanism of Ishida, all of the dampers must be removed from the piano. This increases the complexity of installation and repair. Furthermore, the dampers are difficult to remove and replace, and are easily damaged. Thus, if all the dampers are removed, there is increased potential for damage.
In addition, the muffler mechanism of Ishida is not configurable. The muffler mechanism of Ishida is of a fixed length, such that it may not fit into many pianos. Furthermore, in Ishida, the position of cushioning member may not be adjusted.